A sensor for detecting the entrance of a document into a sheet feeder. The document sensor is attached to the sheet feeder. The document sensor comprises a printed circuit board, a key peg and a rocking lever. The printed circuit board is attached to the sheet feeder. The printed circuit board has a first lead wire and a second lead wire detached form each other. The key peg is also attached to the sheet feeder pinning the rocking lever so that the rocking lever is free to rotate relative to the key peg. A conductive member is attached to the rocking lever so that rotating the rocking lever is able to establish an electrical connection between the first lead wire and the second lead wire through the conductive member.
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7. A document sensor attached to a sheet feeder for sensing the presence of a document, comprising:
at least a lead wire; and a driven element capable of selectively electrical connecting to the lead wire, so as to judge whether or not the document has entered the sheet feeder.
1. A document sensor attached to a sheet feeder for sensing the presence of a document, comprising:
a first lead wire; a second lead wire electrically separated from the second lead wire; a key peg attached to the sheet feeder; and a rocking lever pinned by the key peg such that the rocking lever is free to rotate using the key peg as a pivot, and the first lead wire and the second lead wire can be electrically connected through a rotation of the rocking lever.
16. A sensing method for detecting the entrance of a document into a sheet feeder, comprising the steps of:
providing a document sensor and attaching the sensor to the sheet feeder, wherein the sensor comprising: at least a lead wire; and a driven element, which is separated from the lead wire; feeding a document into the sheet feeder, pushing the driven element such that the driven element is electrically connected to the lead wire, so as to judge whether or not the document has entered the sheet feeder; and removing the document from the sheet feeder, whereby the lead is separated from the driven element, so as to judge whether or not the document has entered the sheet feeder. 12. A method of sensing the entrance of a document into a sheet feeder, comprising the steps of:
providing a document sensor and attaching the document sensor to the sheet feeder, wherein the document sensor includes: at least a lead wire; and a driven element for connecting the lead wire electrically; feeding a document into the sheet feeder, pushing the driven element such that the driven element is separated from the lead wire, so as to judge whether or not the document has entered the sheet feeder; and removing the document from the sheet feeder, whereby the lead is electrically connected to the driven element, so as to judge whether or not the document has entered the sheet feeder. 2. The document sensor of
3. The document sensor of
4. The document sensor of
5. The document sensor of
6. The document sensor of
8. The document sensor of
9. The document sensor of
10. The document sensor of
11. The document sensor of
13. The document sensor of
14. The document sensor of
15. The document sensor of
17. The document sensor of
18. The document sensor of
19. The document sensor of
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the document sensor of a sheet feed scanner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a document sensor that can be fabricated at a considerably reduced cost.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to rapid progress in the electronic manufacturing industry, high performance computing systems are produced en-mass. With the proliferation of electronic products in the market, many of them are used in our daily life. In recent years, processing speed and storage capacity of computer products has also increased at a tremendous pace leading to higher performance for many types of graphic processors. Consequently, different types of image processing products such as optical scanners and digital cameras are constructed.
According to the document scanning method, optical scanners can be classified as belonging to: a packet scanner, a sheet feed scanner, a drum scanner or a flatbed scanner. As an example, a sheet feed scanner can have an optical resolution in excess of 600 dpi and almost all of them have a scanning structure that employs contact image sensors (CIS). In fact, the sheet feed scanner occupies such a small volume that they are routinely carried along with a notebook computer.
In general, a document sensor is installed on a sheet feed scanner so that the presence of any document in the sheet feeder can be detected.
Before a document (not shown) is fed into the sheet feeder, one end of the rocking lever 130 will cut across the path of the beam 122. Hence, the light beam 122 can never reach the optical sensor 110. Without receiving any light, the light sensor 110 will transmit a signal to a circuit chip (not shown) so that the chip jumps to a "no document" logic state.
As shown in
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a document sensor for a sheet feed scanner that does not require the incorporation of a light emitter and an optical sensor. Hence, overall production cost of the document sensing system is greatly reduced.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a document sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a document in a sheet feeder. The document sensor mounts on the sheet feeder. The document sensor at least includes a printed circuit board, a key peg and a rocking lever. The printed circuit board is attached to the sheet feeder. The printed circuit board contains a first lead wire and a second lead wire. The first lead wire and the second lead wire are separate from each other. The key peg passes through a hole in the rocking lever before attaching to the sheet feeder so that the rocking feeder may rotate using the key peg as a pivot. A conductive element is attached to the rocking lever so that the first lead wire and the second lead wire may be electrically connected together through a rotary motion of the rocking lever.
In one embodiment of this invention, the rocking lever has a linear shape and the conductive element is positioned at one end of the rocking lever. The conductive element may be an electroplated conductive layer on the rocking lever or a conductive plate attached to the rocking lever through rivets. Furthermore, the entire rocking lever may be made from a conductive material. One major design criteria of the rocking lever is the capacity to join up the first lead wire and the second lead wire selectively.
This invention also provides a method for sensing the presence or absence of a document inside a sheet feeder. The document sensing method includes the following steps. In step one, a document sensor is provided. The document sensor is attached to the sheet feeder. The document sensor comprises a first lead wire, a second lead wire and a driven element. The first lead wire and the second lead wire are detached from each other but are electrically connected together through the driven element. In step two, a document is fed into the sheet feeder. The entrance of a document pushes the driven element away from either the first lead wire or the second lead wire, breaking the electrical connection between the first and the second lead wire. Hence, the presence of a document in the sheet feeder can be detected. In step three, the document is pulled away from the sheet feeder. The driven element moves back to the original position and reforms the electrical connection between the first lead wire and the second lead wire. Hence, the absence of a document in the sheet feeder can be detected.
This invention also provides an alternative method for sensing the presence or absence of a document inside a sheet feeder. The document sensing method includes the following steps. In step one, a document sensor is provided. The document sensor is attached to the sheet feeder. The document sensor comprises a first lead wire, a second lead wire and a driven element. The driven element is detached at least from either the first lead wire or the second lead wire. In step two, a document is fed into the sheet feeder. The entrance of a document pushes the driven element to make an electrical connection between the first lead wire and the second lead wire. Hence, the presence of a document in the sheet feeder can be detected. In step three, the document is pulled away from the sheet feeder. The driven element moves back to the original position, breaking contact with at least either the first lead wire or the second lead wire again. Hence, the absence of a document in the sheet feeder can be detected.
In brief, by attaching a conductive element to the rocking lever or fabricating the rocking lever with conductive material, an electrical connection or disconnection between the first lead and the second lead wire can be selected through a rotation. Ultimately, internal logic states of a silicon chip can be controlled. The document sensing system has a simple structure and circuit design and hence the production cost is low.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings,
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Before the entrance of a document (not shown) into the sheet feeder, the first lead wire 212 and the second lead wire 214 are electrically connected together through the conductive path 250. Since a closed circuit is formed through the wires 212 and 214, a circuit chip connected to the wires 212 and 214 will jump to a "no document" logic state.
As shown in
In the first embodiment, conduction between the first lead wire and the second lead wire indicates a "document absent" logic state while an open circuit between the first and the second lead wire indicates a "document present" logic state. However, the aforementioned configuration of the logic states is not the only permissible one. logic states may also be used to control the circuit chip.
As shown in
In the aforementioned embodiments, a conductive member is attached to the rocking lever by electroplating or riveting. However, this invention also permits the entire rocking lever to be made from a conductive material so that the first lead wire and the second lead wire may be electrically connected through motion of the rocking lever.
Furthermore, in the foregoing embodiments, the first lead wire and the second lead wire are disposed on a printed circuit board. However, the invention is not limited in the foregoing applications. As shown in
In conclusion, this invention relies on the attachment of a conductive member to the rocking lever and the selective breaking of electrical connection between a first lead wire and a second lead wire through rotation to signal a change of logic state inside a circuit chip. This type of document sensor has a simple structure and employs a simple control circuit. Hence, fabrication cost of the sensor is considerably lower than the conventional light emitter/optical sensor system.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Huang, Yin-Chun, Tsuei, Ji-Mei, Chen, Pi-Chun
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